Exploring road tunnel drivers' behavior: the case of Greece

The influence of infrastructure on driver behavior should be primarily examined for enhancing the level of road safety due to its impact on a significant number of accidents. Since tunnels are critical road infrastructure elements, they have to be at the forefront. Greece particularly has one of the highest number of deaths with 76 deaths per million inhabitants while the European average is 50. Meanwhile, Greece possesses the fourth place within the EU based on the number of road tunnels longer than 500m. Therefore, this survey aims at exploring road tunnel drivers' behavioral intentions in Greece. To do so, a questionnaire survey is conducted through which 306 responses are collected and analyzed. Initially, users' driving behavior is investigated in order to compare potential divergences between tunnels and open roads. Special emphasis is given in comparing respondents behaviors with the behavior of other drivers around them. Subsequently, the perceptions that affect users' driving behavior are investigated such as their perceived risk and control when passing through tunnels or their comparative optimism. Finally, the survey explores potential users' lack of education in dealing with emergency situations and how this issue impacts on their driving behavior. By investigating and recording drivers' concerns, this paper provides important information that can be deployed by tunnel managers and safety analysts in applying adequate safety measures and designing relevant information campaigns Refereed/Peer-reviewed